ANSWERS: 1
  • I believe you mean Donnybrook, as in "Now all the players are on the field. The umps are calling the security. It's a real donnybrook!" Donnybrook was a village outside Dublin that was licensed in the 13th century to hold an annual fair. For reasons obscured in the mists of history, the folk who came to town for the fair seemd to be particularly likely to get into large, random brawls after dark. As Dublin grew, Donnybrook was overtaken, and eventually the City Council closed the Donnybrook Fair to put an end to the fighting. The phrase describes a general brawl, and was originally recorded as "just like at a Donnybrook Fair". However, as the fair was forgotten, the phrase was shortened until it became the noun used today.

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